The Promise
by Dorkybluefish
Summary: "You're... Lying." Blake said, seeing through her fairy-tale spin of the situation. Tears sprung from Yang's eyes, knowing that Blake came to the same conclusion she had. "I'm right here with you, Blake." Yang told her, grinning through her own pain. She would stay with her. After all, she had a promise to keep. One she would keep till the very end. (Warning: major character death)


**A/N: Um... Heeeeeey. Blue here and... uuh... I'm really sorry about it. It's... a lot of pain. But I swear it's worth it to read! This is the angstiest thing I have ever written (and will probably ever write, if I'm being honest). The idea came from Elimental on Tumblr, give them a look. Blame them for this utter ANGST (no please don't harass them, they're pretty cool)! I hope you guys like this one shot! Enjoy the Bees!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY**

 **The Promise**

All she felt was agony as her body crumpled to the ground. The battle was over, the enemies defeated, but they merely had to wait for Ruby and Weiss to finish the rest. The blonde looked down at the wound in her abdomen. It was gushing blood, flowing like some sick river.

It wasn't good.

Feebly, she rose to her hands and knees. Her neck craned up, trying to find her partner, who she saw also take a large blow right before the enemy had been vanquished. She saw a mass of black hair and a tattered white (mostly red at this point) trench coat.

"Blake," Yang tried to call out. No response. Panic and adrenaline surging through her veins, Yang dug her hands into the ground and dragged her sluggish (and rapidly declining) body over. "Blake!"

This time, the faunus did react, her head moved up marginally. Her golden eyes flicked open and Yang saw the fear and the pain that overtook them. When she got closer, she saw why.

Blake's aura must have depleted much faster than Yang thought. Her poor body was practically torn apart by the attacks. She saw cuts and gashes all over, but she couldn't discern how many there were. They weren't as big as the wound Yang currently sported, but they matched it (if not doubled it) with how many there were. Blake was shaking like a leaking paint can, her blood coating the canvas that was the ground.

"Y-Yang." She whimpered. Her voice propelled Yang to struggle even harder to reach the girl, even if it did make her wound worse. Tears filled in her eyes, thinking about how much pain she must be in. How scared she was. She needed to reach her, if it was the last thing she did.

Which it very well could be.

"B-Blake..." She muttered, as her legs gave out beneath her.

She couldn't _feel_ them anymore.

Yang pushed herself the last stretch, roaring at the way the dirt ground into her wound. She pulled herself until she was parallel with Blake, opting to lay on her side.

"Heeey there, kitty cat." Yang sputtered, attempting to lighten the grim mood. It seemed to work a little, Blake (still shaking) formed a weak smile. But soon the blood trickled from that smile, breaking the moment as she coughed it up onto the ground.

"C-can't believe yuh-you're making jokes n-now." She managed after her coughing fit ceased. Yang wanted to cry at the sight, but tried to remain strong. It wouldn't help either of them now. She couldn't heal her, she couldn't stop her bleeding, all she _could_ do is watch as she suffered. But maybe she could make her a little happy.

"What d-did you-" Yang was interrupted by a larger surge of pain from her abdomen. She waited for it to ebb away, taking some shaky breaths. Her lungs were on fire, she knew they were most likely filling with blood. Internal damage, she supposed. Blake wasn't the only one who's aura was gone half-way through the fight.

Suddenly, Yang felt very sleepy. She wanted to close her eyes. Just for a bit. She just wanted to sleep away this pain, maybe she would feel better afterwards. But just as she was nodding off, she heard something in the distance.

Actually, it wasn't that distant at all. It was right beside her.

"Yang! Yuh-Yang! Puh-please!" The voice almost screamed, sobbing in between words. Her eyes flitted open and she vaguely felt something grasp her hand. Immediately, she locked onto amber orbs, ones that were glossy and leaking. "D-don't leave me." She whimpered.

It dawned on her that if she had slept then, she would never have woken up. And Blake would have no one to help her through this. She would have broken that promise she made to her.

And she would _never_ do that.

 **XxXxX**

Yang walked out to the balcony of their residence in Vacuo. Most stepped to see the beautiful night time sky and feel that cool Vacuo air. On this night, however, Yang was looking for someone. She silently congratulated herself when she noticed the girl with the ebony locks leaning on the railing, her hair fluttering in the wind like a willow tree. Before approaching her, she simply took in the view. Not the Vacuon one, but the woman admiring it.

"Nice night." Yang commented, finally making her presence known. Blake chuckled and Yang thought she would melt to a puddle right then and there. The raven-haired girl turned to face her, her amber eyes illuminated by the moonlight. A half smile hung to her lips.

"It's better now that you're here." She hummed, beckoning Yang to join her by the railing by extending her arm out to her.

"Smooth." Yang commented, taking her hand and leaning her side up against the railing with her.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"I know you, Belladonna."

"Do you now?" Blake asked, her smile looking more mischievous, "Then tell me, what am I thinking about right now?"

"Hmm." Yang vocalized, tapping her chin in artificial pondering. After some time had passed, she snapped her finger (which she kept forgetting didn't do much with her metal prosthetic) and grinned excitedly. "You're thinking about how lucky you are to have an _amaaaazing_ girlfriend like me!"

Blake laughed at her response, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

"Right on the nose." She told her. She leaned forward and pulled Yang into a deep kiss.

"I'm the lucky one." Yang told her as they parted. "I've got you."

 **XxXxX**

"Y-yang? I... I don't feel well." Blake told her, sounding more like a sick toddler than a fearsome huntress. Yang picked her own arm off of the ground (she doesn't remember her prosthetic being so heavy) and placed it on Blake's cheek. She couldn't be sure it wasn't causing her more pain, but she saw no cuts around there. And Blake's moaning didn't get any worse from the contact.

"I know, honey. I know." Yang told her. She grinned through her own pain, trying to see the girl smile once more. Even if it was through bloody teeth.

"It hurts." She whispered in a hushed tone. It was almost as if she thought speaking softer would ease the pain.

"I know, baby." Yang said, fighting back tears. "It's gonna be ok. They'll come and find uh-us."

Blake locked her eyes with Yang. She was actually surprised at the intensity that she was able to manage. She just held her gaze for a couple seconds. Yang's heart skipped a beat, fearing that the girl was already gone. The heart (that was struggling to beat as it was) resumed it's slower and diminishing rhythm when she saw her blink her eyes.

"You're... Lying." She said softly, the realization dawning upon her. That look in her eyes, it was painful. It was as if someone was grabbing Yang's wound and twisting it even further. Blake knew. She _knew_ what Yang did, what was going to happen. The brawler wanted nothing more than to lie to her. To continue those sweet stories of how the others would help them out. How someone would swoop in at the last minute to save them, just like in the fairy-tales.

But this was no fairy-tale. This was real and Yang couldn't lie anymore. She didn't have the strength to do so.

"I-I'm right here. I'll stay right here with you." She told her. Her voice was cracking with emotion, her tears finally falling down her face.

 **XxXxX**

"And you say that _I'm_ smooth." Blake retorted, staring into Yang's eyes. She could finally see it. She could finally see the love that was there in those golden eyes. The love that everyone else could see when she couldn't. When she was too blinded by pain.

She thanked her lucky stars that Weiss had convinced her to take another chance on Blake. To talk with her. It took some time, even after talking things out, but they had finally gotten things back to normal. Better than normal, in fact. Blake and Yang were in complete step with each other, perfect synchronicity. Then, the blonde began to notice the way her heart pounded faster when she entered a room. How much she enjoyed her hugs (which she did not give out to many, she noted). She relished the time they spent together, thankful that she was here. She was _actually_ here, the girl who ran and came back.

And then one night she had an awful nightmare, a truly terrible one where Adam was torturing Blake again. She woke up with a start, her breathing hitched and wheezy. It was when she noticed Blake right next to her that she almost jumped out of her skin. The cat faunus quickly scooted into the bed and held Yang, whispering comforting things to her.

When she had finally calmed down, she stared up at Blake. Blake stared back. They slowly leaned in and shared their first kiss, the first of many that night. It started off as a secret affair between the two of them, but after being discovered by Ruby and Weiss (who should really learn to knock before entering a room) they stopped hiding.

There was no need anyways. Yang liked Blake and Blake liked Yang. There was no shame. In fact, Yang almost giggled with joy the first time Blake referred to her as her girlfriend.

"I'd never use it against you. Only to make you feel as beautiful and wonderful as you are." Yang told her. "I mean it though. I am so lucky to have you. Hopefully for a long time too."

Upon hearing that, Blake's ears drooped and she averted her eyes.

"I mean... Um... I don't want to assume what you want, but... um." Yang stuttered.

Immediately, Blake's eyes shot back towards Yang.

"No! Oh no no! I want to be with you!" Blake hurriedly explained. The blonde released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "It's just... Oh never mind it's... Never mind."

"What is it?" The brawler softly asked. Blake nervously chuckled.

"It's kind of dark."

 **XxXxX**

"We're gonna die, Yang." Blake said, more tears spilled down her face. Yang scooted her body closer to Blake, wanting to be near her. To comfort. "Stop! Yuh-you're just gonna make it wuh-worse."

Yang snickered at Blake's concern for her well-being. They were actually cut from the same cloth, weren't they.

"It's already pretty bad, Blakey." Yang told her. The raven-haired girl then shifted her head to observe Yang's wound. Amber eyes widened as she finally took in the extend of her injury. She started sobbing. "Shhh, hey. Look at me. Look at me, Blake."

Gold eyes shifted back to lilac. This time, Blake shifted closer, whining as her wounds ached in protest. With Blake's new position, they were basically breathing the same air. The warmth from her (what little that was left) was comforting to Yang. She closed her eyes wishing to bask in the warm for a little bit. She wasn't used to her body being so cold.

Maybe she could just take a little nap, just sleep a bit. Blake and her used to do that all the time, fall asleep staring into each others eyes. This shouldn't be different, right? She would fall asleep, warm and safe by Blake's side.

"Yang!" A far away voice yelled. "Puh-please wake up!"

Yang moaned.

"I'm... just so tired."

"Yang." The voice sobbed. "Yang, you promised."

With a gasp, Yang's eyes shot open and she was once again aware of how much pain she was in. Though, it had dulled a bit. That probably wasn't a good sign, but she wasn't about to complain.

"I'm here! Sorry." Yang told her. She moved her arm, that had slipped off of her girlfriend's cheek, back to it's position. Weakly, she stroked her cheek with her thumb. "D-don't worry, I've got you. I won't leave you."

This promise was harder to accomplish than she thought.

 **XxXxX**

"Okay, how dark are we talkin' here? Like-" Yang attempted to crack a joke, only to be interrupted.

"Like, death."

"Oh boy." Yang said, scratching the back of her head. "That _is_ dark."

"Yang... By this point, you and I both know what Salem is capable of. What she _will_ do, given the chance. The extent of her reach."

It was true. It'd been a couple years, but they had finally grabbed the three relics from the kingdoms of Mistral, Atlas and Vacuo. Vale was next, but there was a good chance that Salem herself could be there, waiting for them.

The fact terrified all of them. It was like the calm before the storm though, no one wanted to mention the dark clouds looming as they basked in their recent victory.

"I know."

"And.. We could die."

"Don't talk like that, we'll be fine! We always are."

"We don't always go up against a god, Yang."

"I know."

"I'm just... I'm scared, Yang."

 **XxXxX**

"I'm scared, Yang." Blake whispered in a voice that would have no doubt sent a chill down Yang's spine, if she hadn't felt so numb.

"I know." Yang told her, using her left hand to grab her right. "I am too."

"I... I don't want to go, Yang." Blake pleaded, as if it were _her_ decision. If it were, she would have saved her long ago. She would have traded her life for hers. The phrase sprung fresh tears from the brawler's eyes. She gripped her hand tighter and closed her eyes to dispel the tears. The urge to keep them closed almost got to her again, but this time she ignored it.

"We'll be ok, B-Blakey. It won't hurt anymore." Yang told her. "Besides, we helped everyone out. We're heroes."

"I d-didn't want you to be a hero, Yang."

"I know."

 **XxXxX**

"It's gonna be alright! You don't need to worry."

"But if it doesn't?"

"It will!"

"But if it _doesn't_?" Blake almost shouted. Yang could see tears filling her eyes. "I couldn't stand to lose you, Yang."

The brawler reached her hand up and stroked the side of her face.

"You won't lose me, Blake."

"But-"

"You _won't_." She asserted.

"How do you _know_?"

"I..." Yang tried to figure out what to say, how she could alleviate some of her (not out of the question) worries. But before she could formulate her answer, Blake crashed into her, hugging her as tight as she could.

"Promise me."

"Huh?"

"Don't be a hero, Yang." Blake stressed. "Promise me that you'll never leave me. That you'll never leave me all alone."

"You gotta know that's true at this poi-"

"Promise!"

"Ok!" Yang acquiesced. "I'll never leave you, Blake. I promise that I will stay by your side no matter what."

"Till... Till the end?"

"Till the end." Yang confirmed with a chuckle. She squeezed her tightly. "Though that's gonna be a while. We'll be old ladies, rocking on side-by-side rockers, yelling at those darn kids to get off our porch."

Blake giggled into her shoulder.

"I'd like that."

"Good, cause we're gonna have one HELL of a porch! The kids won't be able to resist it! And then we'll _have_ to yell at them. It's a fool proof plan, really."

The raven-haired girl then mumbled something into her shoulder that she couldn't quite make out.

"What was that?"

"I... I love you, Yang."

Her heart stopped.

Just... Stopped.

This was the first time Blake had ever said that. The first time she used the 'L' word (and no, not 'Lesbian'). She felt giddy and excited and nervous. Her mind was _so_ preoccupied with these emotions that she forgot to respond.

"It's ok... If you don't feel the same way yet." Blake mumbled.

"Me too!" Yang dumbly responded. "I-I mean, I too... I do... Love... Um you, that is."

Blake pulled away and smirked, eyeing her with that knowing look she sometimes got. Smug and full of danger.

"Wanna try that again?"

"I love you too, Blake." Yang easily told her, now that she had her composure. "I love you."

 **XxXxX**

"I-I love you." Yang cried, now wrapping her arm around Blake's arm.

"I... Love... You too." She responded, her eyes half-lidded. She was fading quickly now. Part of Yang was happy that her pain would end soon, the other part was in agony. She had no choice but to watch the woman she loved bleed out before her very eyes. "I-I'm cold, Yang."

"You're a-always c-cold." Yang tried to joke, knowing full well what the cold _really_ meant. "Remember Atlas?"

"I'd... rather forget." Blake said, cracking a small smile.

"Y-yeah, that place suh-sucked. But I g-got to give y-you my coat."

"A... True... G-gentlewoman."

This got Yang to laugh a bit, still coughing up blood. She was surprised she still has some left to expel.

"You always knew h-how to make me laugh." Yang reminisced. "I always thought I preferred the corny jokes, b-but you showed me the a-appeal of d-dry wit."

"You m-mean... ruh-humor?" That mischievous smile formed on her lips again, and Yang melted at the sight.

"Oh ha ha. Hey, I'm funny. I've g-gotten you... to laugh plenty." Yang said. "Remember that dude in Atlas? Th-the one that called you 'w-wild'."

A small laugh escaped Blake.

"Y-you said 'Wildly guh-gorgeous and wildly out of your league.'"

"And then?"

"And then... Y-you punched him."

"And then I punched him." Yang said, grinning from ear to ear. "The cr-creep deserved it."

"I cou-could... have ha-handled it." Blake said, shaking more than before, her breaths shallow and strained.

"I know. Y-you're strong. You're so incredibly st-strong, Blake."

"I... Appreciated... Wuh-what you did, though. I... I love you... so much." Blake told her. Her eyes clamped shut as a wave of pain passed through her torn up body.

"I love you too." Yang said. "Hey, re-remember when we f-finally left Atlas? How happy Weiss was t-to go? I'd n-never seen her sm-smile that big. Remember that, Blake?"

"..."

"Blake, do you remember?"

But... Blake just remained silent, her eyes closed, a slight smile still resting upon her still features. The pained expression, gone. She looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

"Blake?" Yang whispered. "Wake up, Blake."

Yang shook the girl, not caring if she caused her more pain. The girl was still.

"Blake. Blake!" Yang shouted. Shouts turned to screams. And screams turned to sobs as she noticed that her chest stopped moving up and down. She stopped shaking. She stopped _breathing._ The blonde dragged the motionless girl to her chest weeping as she held her there. She was cold. So cold. When did she get that cold. Yang knew it was coming. She knew that it was going to happen sooner, rather than later. She thought she was ready.

She wasn't.

She wasn't ready to see the love of her life, devoid of life in front of her very eyes. She was just talking to her. Blake was _just_ talking to her. And now?

Blake was gone. And she wasn't far behind.

"I... Kept my promise, Blake. I never left you. I'm here. I'm still here." She sobbed as she nuzzled her face into the ebony tresses, thankful that it was the last sensation she would ever feel.

She kissed the top of her head and then she finally allowed herself rest her weary eyes. She closed them and dreamed of a better place than this. She dreamed of the life she would have had with Blake. She dreamed of their wedding. Weiss and Ruby would have been the maids of honor (naturally). She dreamed of the honeymoon they could have spent together. She dreamed of introducing Blake to her father, what he would say. How he would tease her relentlessly.

She dreamed of the porch she and Blake would have owned, the rockers they would have spent their time on. The memories they would have recalled, holding hands as they rocked back and forth, watching the sunset on a warm summer day.

Then, she finally fell asleep.


End file.
